That Time Snoop Dogg Butchered Metallica’s ‘Sad But True’ – Best of YouTube

15 years ago, MTV honored Metallica on the channel’s short-lived Icon series. Bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit were on hand to cover songs from the thrash legends, but one performance that didn’t hit the mark was from Snoop Dogg, who turned “Sad But True” into a jumbled mishmash of horrors.

Strangely enough, Sum 41 offered the best tribute performance that night, opening the show with a medley of “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “Enter Sandman” and “Master of Puppets.” Staind kept the show moving with a somber jam of “Nothing Else Matters,” but MTV Icon: Metallica sunk after Avril Lavigne did “Fuel” followed by Snoop’s “Sad But True.”

Thankfully, Snoop’s cover only lasted about a minute, but the stank permeated through viewers’ TV screens. Snoop momentarily forgot some lyrics in the very first verse, looking to resident pimp daddy Don ‘Magic’ Juan as if the gilded hype man was a teleprompter.

Snoop’s vocal approach was bizarre to say the least. The rap legend attacked James Hetfield’s vocal parts with a mix of hip-hop flow, lounge crooning and pure DGAF, confusing the studio crowd. You can even see bewilderment in the eyes of Metallica themselves, not know exactly how to react as the cameras cut their way.

We’ve got tons of respect for Snoop Dogg and his career (Doggy Fizzle Televizzle was genius) but this was a swing and a miss for the blazed rapper. Despite the cringe factor, the performance remains a part of Metallica history still discussed by fans, with the video above accumulating almost three million views (with 8,000 likes and 9,000 dislikes).

Take a trip back to 2003 with Snoop Dogg’s questionable performance of “Sad But True.”